Periodontitis is associated with a low concentration of vitamin C in plasma

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify how concentrations of vitamin C in plasma relate to the serology of periodontitis. The random sample used comprised 431 men, 194 from Finland and 237 from Russia. The plasma vitamin C concentration was determined by o-phtaldialdehyde-fluorometry, and serum immunoglobulin G antibodies to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis were determined by a multiserotype enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mean plasma vitamin C concentration was higher (P < 0.001) in Finnish subjects (mean +/- standard deviation, 4.5 +/- 2.8 mg/liter) than in Russian subjects (1.4 +/- 1.8 mg/liter). Mean antibody levels to both A. actinomycetemcomitans (4.7 +/- 3.6 versus 5.2 +/- 3.1 ELISA units [P = 0.05]) and P. gingivalis (5.7 +/- 2.5 versus 7.6 +/- 2.9 ELISA units [P < 0.001]) were lower in Finnish men than in Russian men. In the combined Finnish and Russian population, the antibody levels to P. gingivalis were negatively correlated with vitamin C concentrations (r = -0.22; P < 0.001); this association remained statistically significant (P = 0.010) in a linear regression model after adjustment for confounding factors. The proportion of P. gingivalis-seropositive subjects decreased with increasing vitamin C concentrations (P for trend, <0.01), but no trend was seen among A. actinomycetemcomitans-seropositive subjects. In conclusion, P. gingivalis infection is associated with low concentrations of vitamin C in plasma, which may increase colonization of P. gingivalis or disturb the healing of the infected periodontium.

FIG. 1.

Distributions of levels of antibodies to periodontal pathogens and plasma vitamin C concentrations. Serum IgG class antibodies to A. actinomycetemcomitans (A) and P. gingivalis (B) were determined by multiserotype ELISA, and plasma vitamin C concentrations (C) were determined by o-phtaldialdehyde-fluorometry, The sample comprised 194 Finnish men and 237 Russian men.

FIG. 2.

Correlations between plasma vitamin C concentrations and serum antibodies to the periodontal pathogens A. actinomycetemcomitans (A) and P. gingivalis (B). The formulas and P values for the regression lines are shown (n = 431).

FIG. 3.

Proportions of seropositive subjects for different categories of plasma vitamin C concentrations. The Finnish (n = 194) and Russian (n = 237) subjects with levels of serum IgG antibodies to A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis of ≥5.0 EU as determined by a multiserotype ELISA were classified as seropositive for the pathogen. The proportion of seropositive subjects was calculated separately for each vitamin C category.